Written Answers to Questions

Monday 17 September 2012

Culture, Media and Sport

Forests

Dan Jarvis:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport whether her Department plans to contribute to the Government's response to the final report of the Independent Panel on Forestry, published in July 2012, regarding the role of forests in tourism and culture. [119185]

Hugh Robertson[holding answer 5 September 2012]: The Department for Culture, Media and Sport will give consideration to this report and will offer input, as necessary or appropriate.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Mrs Gillan:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport (1) what assessment she has made of the potential effect on tourism in the Chilterns Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty of the High Speed Rail 2 project; and if she will make a statement; [120806]

(2) what assessment she has made of the potential effect on the attractiveness of the Chilterns Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty as a tourist destination of the High Speed Rail 2 project; and if she will make a statement. [120808]

Hugh Robertson:
No specific assessment has been made in respect of the Chilterns Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, although my Department, along with English Heritage, has been involved with the HS2 scheme, inputting into the policy development at various stages and providing cross-Government clearance as appropriate. As the scheme develops the Department will continue to provide advice and ensure the views of the tourism and heritage sectors are taken into account, including through the associated Environmental Impact Assessment.

Internet: Warrington

Helen Jones:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what estimate she has made of the number of (a) people and (b) households in each council ward in Warrington who do not have access to the internet. [121151]

Mr Vaizey:
Data are not available at that level of geographic detail.

All households with a fixed telephone line are able to access dial-up internet. Almost all households in Warrington should be able to access the internet through fixed

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broadband and mobile services. Warrington borough council and its partners in the Connecting Cheshire project are in the process of identifying broadband notspots and slowspots, as part of their participation in the Broadband Delivery UK rural programme and the Universal Service Commitment to make basic broadband available at speeds of at least 2Mbit/s.

Ofcom's Communications Infrastructure Report published in 2011 suggested that 16.7% of broadband connections in Warrington were not achieving speeds of 2Mbit/s or more and that take-up was 70%:

http://maps.ofcom.org.uk/broadband/

Local Broadcasting: Wales

Jonathan Edwards:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what her policy is on the introduction of local television in Wales. [120611]

Mr Vaizey:
Ofcom is currently assessing bids and will start awarding the first local TV licences shortly.

Olympic Games 2012

Paul Flynn:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what evaluation she plans to make of the effectiveness of the implementation of the sustainability programme for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. [120992]

Hugh Robertson:
Reports have been published regularly setting out the achievements of the London 2012 Games sustainability programme. Highlights reported in the Pre-Games report (April 2012) include: more than 98% of demolition waste and 99% of construction waste reused or recycled against a target of 90%; 67% of materials transported by rail or water against a target of 50%; an Olympic Stadium which is the most sustainable example ever; and 14 million sustainably sourced meals to be served during the Games.

In addition, the Commission for a Sustainable London 2012 (CSL), the independent London 2012 sustainability assurers, have been conducting an ongoing evaluation of the programme. On 10 August 2012, the Commission published a positive pre-Games opinion on whether the London 2012 Games would live up to an expectation as 'the greenest games ever' highlighting the many sustainability commitments met or exceeded, and expressing optimism about the development of East London as a destination for businesses, new communities, investors and tourists. The Government are also conducting a Meta-Evaluation study which will provide an assessment of the impacts and legacy of the Games, including sustainability. An interim report will be published in October with a final report published by summer 2013.

Maria Eagle:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport whether (a) Ministers and (b) officials from her Department used the Olympic Route Network for travel for official purposes during the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic games. [121005]

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Hugh Robertson:
The Department will publish details of Government use of tickets and hospitality in the autumn; this will include use of transport services which operated on the Olympic or Paralympic route networks.

Mr Jim Cunningham:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport whether she plans to refund the funding taken from the Big Lottery Fund for the London 2012 Olympics. [121084]

Hugh Robertson:
The commitment to reimburse the National Lottery for its contribution of £675 million to the public sector funding package for the London 2012 Olympic games is enshrined in a contractual agreement between the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport and the Greater London Authority.

The lottery distributors, including the Big Lottery Fund, will be reimbursed pro rata to their contribution to the £675 million from the receipts from the sale of land in the Olympic Park in the years after the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic games.

Mr Jim Cunningham:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport how much of the London 2012 Olympics (a) budget and (b) contingency fund was unspent. [121085]

Hugh Robertson:
The latest published figures on the public sector funding package for the London 2012 games were announced to Parliament on 13 June 2012. The announcement, which coincided with the publication of the Department's latest quarterly report on the games, showed that £476 million of the £9.3 billion budget remained uncommitted. This comprised £88 million uncommitted contingency held by the Olympic Delivery Authority, and £388 million uncommitted contingency held by central Government. We will be publishing updated figures, covering the period to the end of the games, in our next quarterly report later this autumn.

Mr Jim Cunningham:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport if she will publish a timetable for sale of the London 2012 Olympic assets. [121086]

Hugh Robertson:
The sale of Olympic assets is being handled largely by the London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (LOCOG), a private company independent of Government responsible for staging the games themselves, and the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA), the non-departmental public body responsible for the construction of the venues and infrastructure. Both organisations are making good progress in obtaining best value for assets.

Wherever possible LOCOG has hired equipment and facilities, as this offered the best value for money, the most sustainable solution, and avoided the need for sale. The ODA will transfer the majority of their assets to the London Legacy Development Corporation. In addition, the Olympic Village accommodation has been sold partly to Triathlon Homes for affordable housing, yielding a receipt of £268 million, and to a joint venture of Qatari Diar and Delancey for private housing, with a receipt of £557 million due in 2014.

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Procurement

Luciana Berger:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what her Department's policy is on taking into account when assessing tenders submitted for departmental contracts the (a) apprenticeship schemes, (b) policies on employment of paid interns and (c) policies of payment of at least the living wage of each bidding company. [120783]

Hugh Robertson:
My Department's policy is to assess tenders in line with the Government Procurement Guidance, which may take into account, depending upon the nature of what is being procured, the areas highlighted in this question.

Rugby: Honours

Greg Mulholland:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what information her Department holds on the (a) number and (b) level of honours awarded for services to Rugby League in the last 30 years. [121355]

Hugh Robertson:
A list of honours recipients from the sport of Rugby League, since 1996, can be found in the following table. The Department does not hold records of honours recipients before this time. However, lists of honours and awards are published in the London Gazette (LG), the official newspaper of record for the UK. Searches can be carried out on LG's website for honours and awards prior to 1996, at:

http://www.london-gazette.co.uk/

List

Award

Name

Citation

NY1996

OBE

Shaun Edwards

For services to Rugby League

BD1996

OBE

Harry Jepson

For services to Rugby League

NY1997

MBE

Martin Offiah

For services to Rugby League

NY1999

OBE

Alexander James Murphy

For services to Rugby League

BD2004

MBE

Harold Swift

For services to Amateur Rugby League in St Helens, Lancashire

NY2005

OBE

Andrew Farrell

Wigan and Great Britain Rugby Captain. For services to Rugby League

NY2006

MBE

John William Whiteley

For services to Rugby League and to the community in Hull and East Yorkshire

BD2007

MBE

Kristian Radlinski

Lately Captain, Wigan Warriors. For services to Rugby League

BD2009

MBE

Ms Hilary Vera Steel

For voluntary service to Rugby League in the north-west

NY2010

MBE

Stephen Prescott

For services to Rugby League and to charity

NY2011

MBE

Raymond James French

For services to Rugby League

BD2011

MBE

Thomas Sale

For voluntary service to Rugby League in Leigh, Lancashire

NY2012

OBE

Augustus Beverley Walter Risman

For services to Rugby League

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NY2012

MBE

James Darryl Peacock

England Rugby League Captain and Leeds Rhinos Prop Forward. For services to Rugby League

BD2012

BEM

Colin Handforth

For services to Amateur Rugby League

S4C

Jonathan Edwards:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport whether she plans to devolve responsibility for S4C to the Welsh Government. [120610]

Mr Vaizey:
The Department has no plans to devolve responsibility for S4C to the Welsh Government. The Government are committed to a long-term, sustainable future for S4C and Welsh language programming and this is best served by maintaining the reserved status of broadcasting. Having broadcasting as a reserved matter is the most effective way of maintaining national standards and securing broadcasters' independence.

Defence

Air Force: Training

Mr Mike Hancock:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many hours of training were required for those flying (a) fast jets, (b) transport aircraft and (c) helicopters in the Royal Air Force in each year since 2008. [120582]

Mr Robathan:
The information on training hours is not held centrally in the format requested.

For flying hours, there is no specific number of hours that a student must fly in order to qualify, rather it is a combination of hours flown and objectives achieved. Some pilots will require more flying hours than others to achieve the required standards.

All pilots complete Elementary Flying Training which requires approximately 55 flying hours per student. Follow-on training varies according to aircraft type and typically involves some 220 hours for fast jets (in two stages), 75 hours for multi-engine aircraft and 75-85 hours for helicopters. Additionally, pilots undergo operational conversion training before joining front line units. This varies considerably depending on both the specific aircraft concerned and the pilots' progress.

Training does not cease after pilots have completed their formal training but continues throughout their flying careers, because all operational flying includes an element of training.

Armed Forces

Angus Robertson:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the (a) cost and (b) establishment by numbers is of (i) Land Command, (ii) Navy Command and (iii) Air Command for (A) 2011-12 and (B) 2012-13. [119730]

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Mr Francois:
Ministry of Defence expenditure information for financial year 2011-12 is currently subject to audit. The overall cost of staff in future years is reflected in the Departmental Expenditure Limits amounts set out in HM Treasury's Spending Review 2010 document, CM7942 (pages 57-58).

Staff numbers for the beginning of 2011-12 and 2012-13 are shown in the following table. These include trained and untrained UK regulars, Gurkhas, full-time Reserve Service personnel and civilians, including Royal Fleet Auxiliary. Significant organisational changes that affect the numbers have taken place during the period concerned.

Personnel strength

Land command

Navy command

Air command

1 April 2011

125,960

37,470

41,640

1 April 2012

115,960

34,890

37,740

Armed Forces: Career Development

Mr Jim Murphy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the average time spent in the rank at which a person enters the (a) Army, (b) Royal Air Force and (c) Royal Navy is before achieving promotion. [119067]

Mr Francois:
The information held is shown in the following table:

Service

Rank

Time (years)

Remarks

Royal Navy

Officer

2.9

To attain Sub Lieutenant from Midshipman

Other Ranks

6.8

To attain Leading Hand (RN), or Lance Corporal (RM) from Rating/Marine

Army

Officer

(1)11 months

To attain 2nd Lieutenant from Officer Cadet

Other Ranks

4.7

To attain substantive Lance Corporal from Private

Royal Air Force

Officer

6.85

To attain substantive Flight Lieutenant from Officer Cadet

Non Commissioned Aircrew

15.25

To attain substantive Flight Sergeant from Sergeant (entry level)

Ground Trades Other Ranks

9

To attain substantive Corporal from Senior Aircraftman

(1 )Army Officers are commissioned upon completion of training at Sandhurst (11 months unless back squadded, for example due to injury). Upon commissioning, they are automatically promoted from Officer Cadet.

The time spent in the rank at which a person enters the armed services before achieving the first promotion varies greatly. For example, in the RAF, the junior enlisted rank structure has a greater number than the other services, of ranks that must be passed through before competing for the rank of Lance Corporal/Corporal. The table therefore provides the average time for promotion to junior non-commissioned officer in each of the services.

There are many different avenues for entry as a commissioned officer into each of the services. Graduates are commissioned earlier than non-graduates and receive

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additional seniority based on previously acquired skills leading to many variations in time to promotion. The information on average time should be read in that light.

Armed Forces: Deployment

Sammy Wilson:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many deployments of UK military personnel have been on the basis of a UN resolution in the last five years; what the cost of those deployments was to date; and what funds the UN contributed financially towards the cost of such deployments. [120532]

Mr Robathan:
Over the last five years, the UK has deployed personnel on numerous United Nations-led missions and as part of international coalitions in support of United Nations Security Council Resolutions. These deployments are shown in the following tables:

Table 1: Deployments in support of a UN-led mission

Country

Duration over the last five years

Afghanistan (UNAMA)

2008-09 and 2010-11

Cyprus (UNFICYP)

2007 to present (ongoing)

Darfur (UNAMID)

2008 to 2009-10

Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUC/MONUSCO)

2007 to present (ongoing)

Ethiopia and Eritrea (UNMEE)

2008 only

Georgia (UNOMIG)

2007 to 2009-10

Iraq (UNAMI)

2007 to 2011

Kenya (UNPOS)

2007 to present (ongoing)

Kosovo (UNMIK)

2007 to 2008-09

Liberia (UNMIL)

2007 to 2009-10

Nepal (UNMIN)

2007 to 2008-09

Sierra Leone (UNIPSIL)

2007 to 2008-09

Sudan (UNMIS)

March 2007 to 2011

South Sudan (UNMISS)

July 2011 to present (ongoing)

Table 2: Deployments in support of a UN Resolution as part of an international coalition

Country/issue

Duration over the last five years

Afghanistan

2007 to present (ongoing)

Chad (EUFOR TCHAD/RCA)

2007 to 2009

Counter Piracy (ATALANTA, CTF 151, Ocean Shield)

2007 to present (ongoing)

Iraq

2007 to 2009

Kosovo (KFOR)

2007 to present (ongoing)

Libya

2011 only

Somalia in support of AMISOM

May 2012 to present (ongoing)

It has not been possible to collate the financial cost of each of these missions in each of the last five financial years. The information could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

The United Nations provides a partial reimbursement to the UK for its contribution to UN-led missions, and this is in accordance with standard UN reimbursement rates. The UN does not provide a reimbursement for coalition operations conducted on the basis of a UN Security Council Resolution. In financial year 2011-12 the UK Government received £1.274 million reimbursement from the UN.

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Nick Harvey:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list all the operations on which UK forces have served alongside the forces of other European nations in the last five years; and which countries participated in each case. [120731]

Mr Robathan:
The Ministry of Defence does not hold centrally information regarding which European nations have been deployed on operations alongside UK forces in the past five years. My officials will engage with the EU and NATO to collate the necessary information and I will write to the hon. Member once the information has been collated.

Armed Forces: Officers

Mr Wallace:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many infantry officers left the army within two years of commanding their regiments in the latest period for which figures are available. [120981]

Mr Robathan:
This information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Armed Forces: Recruitment

Angus Robertson:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much funding in each category of expenditure was allocated to the (a) RAF, (b) Royal Navy and (c) Army for recruitment purposes in (i) 2011-12 and (ii) 2012-13. [119591]

Mr Francois:
The information available for expenditure for recruitment purposes is shown in the following table:

£ million

Services

Financial year

Royal Navy

Army

RAF

2011-12

2.8

7.507

6.016

2012-13

(1)6.6

(2)5.281

4.853

(1) The figure for 2012-13 contains forecast expenditure of £1.9 million for a campaign which has yet to be submitted to the Efficiency Reform Group for approval. (2) Actual and forecast costs to end September 2012. From 1 October 2012, as a result of the implementation of the Recruiting Partnering Project, marketing will rest with the commercial partner (Capita) who will determine their own marketing strategy to meet the recruiting targets set within the contract.

Armed Forces: Redundancy

Mr Jim Murphy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) whether his Department considered making members of the armed forces who had been prepared, deployed on and recovered from operations with operational allowance earnings exempt from redundancy decisions in Tranche 2; [118602]

(2) whether he gave consideration to exemption from redundancy in Tranche 2 of the Armed Forces Redundancy Programme to those members of the armed forces who had prepared for, been deployed on and recovered from operations with operational allowance earnings; [118732]

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(3) whether members of the armed forces who had been prepared for, deployed on and recovered from operations with operational allowance earnings were considered for exemption from redundancy decisions in Tranche 2. [119801]

Mr Francois[holding answer 4 September 2012]: No. We have repeatedly assured the House that all of those in receipt of operational allowance on the date the redundancy notifications are made are exempt from selection, unless they have applied to be considered for redundancy. Similarly, all those preparing for, or recovering from such an operation are exempt, unless they have volunteered.

Mr Jim Murphy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many members of the armed forces made redundant in Tranche 2 of the Armed Forces Redundancy Programme (1) were within (a) one month, (b) two to three months, (c) three to four months, (d) four to five months and (e) five or more months of receiving their pension; [118731]

(2) were within (a) one, (b) two to three, (c) three to four, (d) four to five and (e) five or more months of receiving their pension; [119113]

(3) were within (a) one, (b) two to three, (c) three to four, (d) four to five and (e) five or more months of receiving a pension. [119800]

Mr Francois[holding answer 6 September 2012]: The proximity of a retirement point is not a consideration when selecting individuals for redundancy. As we reduce the size of the armed forces, our priority is to ensure that they maintain the correct balance of the skills and experience, across the rank structures, which are required to deliver operational capability now and in the future, and it is this which has determined the redundancy fields.

The Ministry of Defence has worked hard to ensure that many more individuals have received an immediate income for which they otherwise would not have qualified. Only 1.2% of individuals who have been selected for redundancy are within one year of qualifying for their immediate pension. These personnel will receive a significantly larger tax free sum, which could total over £100,000, and still get all their accrued pension rights at the age of 60 or 65.

The following table lists the total number of personnel selected for redundancy with an exit date of 30, 60, 90, 120 and 150 or more days earlier than an immediate retirement point:

Number of days, on discharge, prior to an immediate pension point

Total

30

6

60

4

90

9

120

0

150 or more

2,624

Chiefs of Staff

Mr Kevan Jones:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) how much the Chief of the Defence Staff has spent on (a) his private office and (b) staff costs in the last 12 months, by category of expenditure; [109774]

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(2) how much the Vice Chief of the Defence Staff has spent on (a) his private office and (b) staff costs in the last 12 months, by category of expenditure; [109775]

(3) how much the First Sea Lord and Chief of Naval Staff has spent on (a) his private office and (b) staff costs in the last 12 months, by category of expenditure; [109776]

(4) how much the Chief of the General Staff has spent on (a) his private office and (b) staff costs in the last 12 months, by category of expenditure; [109777]

(5) how much the Chief of the Air Staff has spent on (a) his private office and (b) staff costs in the last 12 months, by category of expenditure. [109778]

Mr Francois:
Regarding the sizes of private offices, I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by the Secretary of State for Defence, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), on 18 January 2012, Official Report, column 825W.

The estimated cost of staff employed in the private offices of the Service Chiefs in financial year (FY) 2011-12 was £2.10 million. This includes costs for the office of the second permanent secretary who shared a private office with the Vice Chief of the Defence Staff during the period. This figure does not include costs for some support staff which are provided from other teams.

The costs of household staff supporting Chief of the Defence Staff, Vice Chief of the Defence Staff and the Service Chiefs are shown in the following table:

£

Cost of household staff

Post

2010-11

2009-10

Chief of the Defence Staff

67,000

128,000

Vice Chief of the Defence Staff

54,000

51,000

First Sea Lord/Chief of the Naval Staff

97,000

161,000

Chief of the General Staff

67,000

161,000

Chief of the Air Staff

116,000

97,000

The figures for FY 2011-12 are still being compiled. The figures do not include drivers.

Correspondence

Lyn Brown:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the average time taken was by his Department to reply to correspondence from hon. Members and Peers in the last 12 months; and for what proportion of letters the time taken to send a response was longer than (a) one month, (b) six weeks, (c) two months, (d) three months and (e) six months in that period. [118650]

Mr Francois:
Information on the average time taken is not available and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

The Ministry of Defence (MOD) received 5,342 items of correspondence which received a ministerial response between 1 August 2011 and 31 July 2012, of which 4,921 items (92%) were answered in 20 working days and 5,117 items (95%) were answered within 30 working days. The other information requested is not held.

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The MOD's database only provides statistics for responses to MPs, Peers and members of the public to whom Ministers have written. The following figures therefore include all correspondence which has received a ministerial response. The Cabinet Office, on an annual basis, publishes a report to Parliament on the performance of Departments in replying to correspondence from MPs and Peers. The report for 2011 was published on 15 March 2012, Official Report, columns 31-33WS.

Defence Equipment

Angus Robertson:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what the planned in-service date for the LABYRINTH communication system was; and when he expects it to be in service; [120300]

(2) when the LABYRINTH communication system will reach its contracted functionality; [120301]

(3) what penalties are applied through the contract with ATLAS for the late delivery of the LABYRINTH communication system; and whether any such penalty has been incurred to date; [120302]

(4) what the original projected cost of the LABYRINTH communication system was; and what the current projected cost is. [120303]

Mr Dunne:
The in-service date for any IT project procured by the Ministry of Defence is the date the customer commences use of live data in support of the business. At contract award for LABYRINTH in January 2009, the planned in-service date was September 2010. As a result of a number of changes to incorporate additional, but essential, technical capability, the LABYRINTH system was rolled out in the UK in June 2012.

Contracted functionality will be achieved on the successful delivery of incremental capability upgrades that commenced in June 2012. Full contracted functionality is currently planned to be delivered in February 2014.

As is normal for defence contracts, there are a number of mechanisms and levers available that may be applied when contractual delays occur, the use of which are dependent upon the cause and severity of delay. In this case, the contractor has made appropriate financial redress in accordance with the provisions of the contract.

I am withholding information on costs for the LABYRINTH communication system as its disclosure would, or would be likely to, prejudice commercial interests. However, I can confirm that the project will deliver within approved budgets, and that cost increase since contract award resulting from the need to incorporate essential technical capability additions is less than 9%.

Iran

Fabian Hamilton:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether he has had discussions with his US counterpart on military action in Iran. [120439]

Mr Philip Hammond[holding answer 12 September 2012]:I regularly discuss a range of security issues with my United States counterparts; however the UK continues to work with the US and other countries to achieve a diplomatic solution to Iran's nuclear ambitions.

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I refer the hon. Member to the statement made by the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), on 20 February 2012, Official Report, column 654, in which he said that we wish to see a peaceful, negotiated diplomatic settlement to the Iranian nuclear crisis, by which Iran gives the world confidence that it is not developing and will not develop nuclear weapons. All our efforts are devoted towards such a peaceful resolution through a twin track strategy of engagement and pressure, although we are clear that all options for addressing the issue remain on the table.

Libya

Angus Robertson:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) how many Libyan armed forces personnel of each rank were trained by the UK armed forces in each of the last 10 years; where such training took place; and what the duration was of such training; [119586]

(2) what training his Department gave to Libyan armed forces personnel in each of the last 10 years. [119587]

Mr Robathan:
The Ministry of Defence has a long tradition of providing defence education to international military personnel at its training establishments throughout the United Kingdom.

All overseas requests for defence training are considered on a case-by-case basis and it would not be provided if we thought such training would lead to human rights abuses. Providing defence training and education to overseas armed forces personnel at the same high standards used by UK armed forces helps build professionalism, accountability and raises awareness of human rights. It also helps build stability overseas as part of the Government's wider foreign policy goals.

The following table lists Libyan personnel who have received military education and training from the UK since 2005, when centralised records were introduced:

Date

Course

Location

Rank

2005

January to December

Royal College of Defence Studies

Seaford House, London

Colonel

3 May to 10 June

English for Advanced Command and Staff Course Phase 1

Defence School of Languages

Colonel

13 June to 21 July

English for Advanced Command and Staff Course Phase 2

Defence School of Languages

Colonel

8 August to 21 July

Advanced Command and Staff Course

Joint Command and Staff College

Colonel

1 September to 12 August

MSc in Managing Defence in a Democracy

Cranfield University, Shrivenham

2 x Lieutenant Colonel

2006

January to March

British Military English

York St John University

First Lieutenant

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30 October to 10 November

International Border Security and Management Briefing

HQ Land Warfare Centre

3 x Colonel Lieutenant Colonel

2 x Major

2007

19 February to 14 December

General English

York St John University

Staff Sergeant

1 Lieutenant

Corporal

Captain

3 April to 21 December

General English

York St John University

4 x civilian

6 x Lieutenant

29 October to 22 February

British Military English

Britannia Royal Naval College Dartmouth

1 Lieutenant

2008

25 February to 24 October

RN Young Officer Course

Britannia Royal Naval College Dartmouth

1 Lieutenant

2009

4 January to 11 December

Army Commissioning Course

Royal Military Academy Sandhurst

Officer Cadet

5 January to 26 April

British Military English

Britannia Royal Naval College Dartmouth

1 Lieutenant

2011

—

English language

De Montfort University

2 x Officer Cadet

2012

12 March to 27 April

Managing Defence in the Wider Security Context

Defence Academy—Shrivenham

2 x Colonel

18 March to 22 March

EEZ Management Course

Held in Cairo

2 x Commander

1 April to 15 May

English language training

Janzour Naval Academy—Libya

14 x Lieutenant Colonels

30 April to 4 May

EEZ Management Course

Held in Malta

2 x Commander

Lieutenant

11 June to 6 July

EEZ Protection Officers Course

HMS Collingwood

Lieutenant

Commandeer

Lieutenant

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10 September 2012 to 19 April 2013

RN Young Officer Course

Britannia Royal Naval College Dartmouth

2 x Officer Cadet

20 September 2012 to 20 September 2013

Bespoke English language training course

De Montfort University

6 x non-commissioned

Angus Robertson:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will estimate the cost to the public purse of training Libyan armed forces personnel in each of the last 10 years. [119588]

Mr Robathan:
The Ministry of Defence has a long tradition of providing defence education to international military personnel at its training establishments throughout the United Kingdom. Since 2005, when centralised records were introduced, the cost to the defence budget and to tri-departmental conflict pool funds of such training for Libya has been £640,000.

All overseas requests for defence training are considered on a case-by-case basis and it would not be provided if we thought such training would lead to human rights abuses. Providing defence training and education to overseas armed forces personnel at the same high standards used by UK armed forces helps build professionalism, accountability and raises awareness of human rights. It also helps build stability overseas as part of the Government's wider foreign policy goals.

Angus Robertson:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether any Libyan armed forces personnel being trained in the UK have claimed political asylum in the last 10 years. [119589]

Mr Harper:
I have been asked to reply on behalf of the Home Department.

The UK Border Agency cannot comment on individual asylum cases, however all asylum applications are considered on their individual merits in accordance with our obligations under the 1951 UN Refugee Convention.

Mr Francois:
The cost in financial year 2011-12 by category of expenditure is shown in the following table:

£ million

RAF Leuchars

HMNB Clyde

RM Condor

Headquarters 2nd Division

Headquarters 51 Brigade

Redford Barracks

Dreghorn Barracks

RAF Kinloss

Fort George Barracks

Personnel

41.9

39.0

26.3

5.9

2.8

—

—

37.4

—

Infrastructure

9.2

5.3

5.6

0.8

0.4

2.1

1.3

7.6

0.7

Other

11.0

241.0

0.4

2.7

0.5

0.2

0.2

1.1

0.2

17 Sep 2012 : Column 461W

17 Sep 2012 : Column 462W

Total

62.1

285.3

32.3

9.4

3.7

2.3

1.5

46.1

0.9

Note:
Numbers are rounded to the nearest £0.1 million.

The personnel costs of Redford Barracks, Dreghorn Barracks and Fort George Barracks are included in the costs of Headquarters 2nd Division.

Headquarters 2nd Division, Redford Barracks, Dreghorn Barracks, Fort George Barracks and Headquarters 51 Brigade are covered by a single contract for utilities and other services. The cost of this contract cannot be broken down by site, but the total value is around £9 million per year. This figure is not included in the table.

The costs of providing Service Family Accommodation cannot be attributed to each location individually as they are managed by region. The total cost of providing accommodation in Scotland is around £15 million per year.

Angus Robertson:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the parliamentary constituency is of each (a) base, (b) garrison and (c) barracks of each of the armed services in (i) England, (ii) Wales, (iii) Northern Ireland and (iv) Scotland. [119590]

Mr Francois:
Updated information on all Ministry of Defence establishments by parliamentary constituency has been placed in the Library of the House.

Public Expenditure

Mr Ainsworth:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much his Department has saved as a result of non-front line costs savings in (a) 2010-11 and (b) 2011-12; and how much he estimates his Department will save in (i) 2012-13, (ii) 2013-14 and (iii) 2014-15. [117659]

Mr Philip Hammond[holding answer 17 July 2012]: The Ministry of Defence has committed to saving £4.3 billion in non-front line savings over the spending review period. This commitment formed part of the spending review conducted in autumn of 2010. The measures that would deliver these savings were decided in the Strategic Defence and Security Review, with further savings being identified in Planning Round 12. Measures were therefore not tracked until 2011-12.

Forecast savings are:

£ million

2011-12

340

2012-13

700

2013-14

1,310

2014-15

2,050

Total

4,400

Figures are rounded to the nearest £10 million. Outturn figures for 2011-12 will not be available until the annual accounts are finalised. Figures for the remaining years may change as a result of decisions made in future planning rounds and within individual commands.

Scotland

Margaret Curran:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence on what date he last had a bilateral meeting with the Secretary of State for Scotland; and what matters were discussed. [119614]

Mr Philip Hammond:
The Secretary of State for Scotland and I meet regularly to discuss a range of topics.

Sergeant Major Adamson

Mr Gregory Campbell:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence with reference to the death of Sergeant Major Adamson by accidental discharge in May 1972 and subsequent inquest in June 2011, if he will review the legislation that precludes any payment to relatives in such circumstances. [120234]

Mr Francois[holding answer 10 September 2012]: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my predecessor, my right hon. Friend the Member for South Leicestershire (Mr Robathan), on 26 October 2011, Official Report, columns 257-58W, in which he stated that prior to May 1987, service personnel (or their dependants in the case of a fatality) were prevented from pursuing claims for compensation from the Ministry of Defence (MOD) by section 10 of the Crown Proceedings Act 1947. Section 10 was repealed by the Crown Proceedings (Armed Forces) Act 1987.

When the House debated the repeal of section 10, the question of retrospection was considered and motions to allow all past and present members of the armed forces or their dependants to pursue compensation claims for injury or death were moved: however, they were defeated or withdrawn. The view then, as it is now, was that there was no logical point at which to draw a line, short of trying to cover all types of injury, and this would create more examples of unfairness and injustice.

This position was subsequently challenged on the basis that section 10 of the Crown Proceedings Act 1947 is incompatible with the European convention on human rights. The Law Lords heard the matter on 13 and 14 January 2003 and a unanimous judgment was handed down on 13 February 2003 in favour of the MOD. The MOD's position concerning the payment of claims predating the repeal of section 10 of the Crown Proceedings Act remains unchanged.

There is no plan to review this legislation.

Service Personnel and Veterans Agency

Jesse Norman:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many telephone calls were handled by the Service Personnel and Veterans Agency in each of the most recent 24 months for which figures are available. [119913]

17 Sep 2012 : Column 463W

Mr Francois:
The number of telephone calls handled by the Service Personnel and Veterans Agency, including regular service personnel calls to the Joint Personnel Administration Centre (JPAC), and veterans’ calls to the Veterans Welfare Service and helpline, in each month from 1 September 2010 to 31 August 2012 for which records are available, is shown in the following table:

Number of calls received

2010

September

65,602

October

58,085

November

65,174

December

42,535

2011

January

70,007

February

56,449

March

63,221

April

50,154

May

55,108

June

58,658

July

51,573

August

52,307

September

56,566

October

55,319

November

60,912

December

40,906

2012

January

63,240

February

56,070

March

58,843

April

51,435

May

60,149

June

48,962

July

54,739

August

49,118

Total

1,345,132

Jesse Norman:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many complaints his Department received on the Service Personnel and Veterans Agency in each of the last 24 months for which figures are available. [120041]

Mr Francois:
The number of complaints received by the Service Personnel and Veterans Agency (SPVA) between 1 September 2010 and 31 August 2012 for which figures are available was 2,330. A breakdown of this figure is shown in the following table:

Complaints Received

September 2010

89

October 2010

98

November 2010

77

December 2010

55

January 2011

129

February 2011

107

March 2011

106

April 2011

86

May 2011

94

17 Sep 2012 : Column 464W

June 2011

88

July 2011

134

August 2011

127

September 2011

103

October 2011

105

November 2011

85

December 2011

70

January 2012

98

February 2012

88

March 2012

109

April 2012

95

May 2012

116

June 2012

99

July 2012

90

August 2012

82

Total

2,330

Jesse Norman:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what proportion of calls to the Service Personnel and Veterans Agency were successfully answered in each of the last 24 months for which figures are available. [120042]

Mr Francois:
The proportion of calls to the Service Personnel and Veterans Agency which were answered successfully between 1 September 2010 and 31 August 2012 for which figures are available was 1,165,480. A breakdown of this figure is shown in the following table:

Number of calls

September 2010

58,232

October 2010

51,573

November 2010

58,094

December 2010

38,386

January 2011

62,405

February 2011

49,843

March 2011

56,153

April 2011

45,016

May 2011

48,717

June 2011

51,772

July 2011

45,650

August 2011

46,215

September 2011

49,613

October 2011

46,760

November 2011

51,609

December 2011

35,353

January 2012

53,012

February 2012

46,805

March 2012

48,805

April 2012

42,199

May 2012

50,321

June 2012

40,819

July 2012

46,930

August 2012

41,198

Total

1,165,480

Veterans

Mr Jim Murphy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what discussions representatives of his Department had with (a) energy companies in

17 Sep 2012 : Column 465W

Scotland and

(b)

service charities nationally on financial support for armed forces veterans in receipt of severe war disablement pension to help with energy bills (i) before and (ii) after the switch to the Warm Home Discount. [120261]

Mr Francois[holding answer 10 September 2012]: The Warm Home Discount scheme is a Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) policy. Officials from the Ministry of Defence are in discussion with DECC officials on this issue.

Energy and Climate Change

Nuclear Power Stations: Safety

Paul Flynn:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what representation the UK sent to the International Experts' Meeting on Protection Against Extreme Earthquakes and Tsunamis in the Light of the Accident at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, organised by the International Atomic Energy Agency on 4 to 7 September 2012; what specific conclusions were reached that have an effect on UK preparedness against such natural threats to UK-based nuclear plants; and whether there are any quantifiable cost implications for the UK of those conclusions. [120975]

Mr Hayes:
No UK representative was sent to the International Experts' Meeting on Protection Against Extreme Earthquakes and Tsunamis in the Light of the Accident at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant. However the UK is fully engaged with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and other international partners to fully learn the lessons from the events at Fukushima in 2011.

Nurseries

Owen Smith:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many child care places his Department provides on its estate; what the cost is of providing such places; how many such places his Department provided in 2010; what the cost was of providing such places in 2010; what plans he has for changes in the provision of such child care places; and what the number of places will be once any such changes have been implemented. [121266]

Gregory Barker:
The Department of Energy and Climate Change does not provide any child care provision on its estate.

Wind Power

Nicholas Soames:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what discussions his Department has had with the Government of Denmark on the economics of (a) onshore and (b) offshore wind farms over the last three years. [121231]

Mr Hayes:
DECC has been in contact with a number of parties including the Government of Denmark over the last three years to discuss various aspects of wind power, including improving the economics of both offshore and onshore wind farms.

17 Sep 2012 : Column 466W

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Bahamas

David Morris:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what technical assistance his Department is offering to the Government of the Bahamas in the field of building capacity for good government and democratic accountability. [121122]

Mark Simmonds:
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office is not currently offering any technical assistance to the Government of the Bahamas in the field of building capacity for good government and democratic accountability.

British Nationals Abroad

Fiona Mactaggart:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many UK nationals have been prosecuted outside the UK for the sexual abuse of children while they were working or volunteering in children's homes and schools in the last five years. [120708]

Mark Simmonds:
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office Consular database, Compass, is used to record our individual Consular case handling. We collate statistics on British nationals who are reported to us as having been arrested for sexual abuse of children. However, Compass does not capture information about the number of prosecutions.

The number of arrests in each of the last five years are as follows:

Total

2008

61

2009

64

2010

63

2011

72

2012 (until 31 July)

43

Economic and Monetary Union

Karen Lumley:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment his Department has made of the political and economic implications of an EU member state leaving the Eurozone. [120971]

Mr Lidington:
In order to protect and promote UK interests the Government continuously assess the political and economic implications for the UK of developments in the Eurozone. As the Prime Minister said on 17 May 2012:

http://www.number10.gov.uk/news/pm-economy-speech/

whatever path the euro area takes the Government are prepared to do:

“whatever is necessary to protect this country and secure our economy and financial system”.

Karen Lumley:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he is taking to prepare contingency plans should an EU member state leave the Eurozone. [120972]

17 Sep 2012 : Column 467W

Mr Lidington:
The Government have contingency plans for all sorts of eventualities. We do not discuss these plans publicly.

Hungary

David Morris:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with the Government of Hungary on their decision to transfer convicted murderer Ramil Safarov from Hungary to Azerbaijan. [121143]

Mr Lidington:
The UK Government have not held any discussions with the Hungarian authorities on the case of Ramil Safarov. We are, however, following developments closely. We have supported EU and Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) statements on the Safarov case. Our main concern is to ensure that tensions between Armenia and Azerbaijan are not increased as a result of this incident, and to encourage both sides to exercise restraint to prevent any escalation of the situation.

India

Fiona Mactaggart:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with the Government of India on facilitating investigations of UK nationals who have been arrested in India for the sexual abuse of children in schools and orphanages. [120709]

Mr Swire:
Both the former Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, the hon. Member for Taunton Deane (Mr Browne), and the Director of Consular Services have stressed the importance of police to police co-operation on UK/India cases with high-level Government representatives in India. The Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA) works with the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre (CEOP) in liaison with the Indian authorities on a number of issues, including cases involving the arrest of British nationals for sexual offences in schools and orphanages. In addition, CEOP continues to develop means to prevent unsuitable UK nationals from having access to children abroad.

Iran

Angus Robertson:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the report by the International Atomic Energy Agency of an increase in the number of uranium enrichment centrifuges in Iran. [121089]

Alistair Burt:
The director general's report of 30 August shows that Iran is continuing to enrich uranium, and is significantly expanding its uranium enrichment capacity, in direct contravention of multiple International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Board and Security Council resolutions. Iran's rapid installation of centrifuges at the Fordow enrichment facility over recent months is cause for considerable concern. Iran can have no civilian use for the significant quantities of enriched material the facility could now produce. We continue to urge Iran to co-operate with the IAEA. To restore international confidence in its intentions, Iran needs to demonstrate sustained co-operation with the IAEA and transparency across its nuclear programme.

17 Sep 2012 : Column 468W

Kenya

Angus Robertson:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the recent violence in Kenya between the Orma and Pokomo communities. [121091]

Mark Simmonds:
We are deeply concerned by the reports of violent clashes between the Orma and Pokomo groups in the Tana River District, which has claimed over 100 lives in recent weeks. The Government of Kenya have told us that 1,000 additional police officers are deploying to the area; and a disarmament programme and mediation efforts are continuing. We have urged the Government of Kenya to ensure that all those responsible are held accountable. We will continue to support the Government of Kenya's efforts to prevent conflict at national and provincial levels and help civil society organisations and religious groups to jointly manage and respond to local tensions.

Palestinians

Richard Burden:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether the UK will vote in favour of recognising Palestine as a non-member observer state at the United Nations General Assembly. [121232]

Alistair Burt:
No proposal has been put to the United Nations General Assembly on this issue.

We see negotiations towards a two state solution as the best way to meet the national aspirations of Israelis and Palestinians and lead to a sovereign, viable and contiguous Palestinian state living in peace and security alongside a safe and secure Israel and their other neighbours in the region.

If the Palestinian Authority does turn to the United Nations General Assembly, the UK will use its vote in a way that makes a return to negotiations more likely.

Pitcairn Islands

Meg Munn:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of the measures in place to protect children on the Pitcairn Islands from convicted sex offenders. [121282]

Mark Simmonds:
Two child safety reviews have so far been commissioned by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) and the Department for International Development to assess the adequacy of child safety standards on the Pitcairn Islands. These reviews, the first in 2009 and the latest last year, have been completed by independent experts (including from the Lucy Faithfull Foundation). The British Government have proceeded to implement, where possible, the recommendations made in the reports for further strengthening of child safeguarding measures on Pitcairn.

There is a significant community of professionals based full-time on Pitcairn including a community police officer seconded from the New Zealand Police Service, a family and community adviser, who is a New Zealand

17 Sep 2012 : Column 469W

trained social worker, a teacher and a doctor. There is also an FCO official, stationed full-time on Pitcairn, who is engaged in safeguarding work. All professionals receive child protection training before they go to the island and there are established policies and procedures in place for handling specific child protection concerns. Most members of the island community have also attended human rights training and child protection training.

All visitors to Pitcairn are made aware of the child protection measures in place on the island and are offered child safety advice.

Convicted offenders who have been released on parole are subject to a number of conditions specified by the Pitcairn Parole Commission, including restrictions on their movements and on whom they may associate with. Offenders are closely monitored by their supervision officer—the community police officer. Offenders have been obliged to participate in an Offender Treatment Programme.

A Pitcairn Sexual Offences Ordinance (2010) modelled on the UK Sexual Offences Act 2003 is now in force. It provides for a sex offenders register, sexual offences prevention orders and risk of sexual harm orders.

Another child safety review is scheduled for 2013.

Departmental Contracts

Luciana Berger:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the name is of each company with which his Department has a contract; what the monetary value of each such contract is; and what is provided to his Department under the terms of the contract. [120771]

Mr Lidington:
There are a large number of live contracts in place within the Foreign and Commonwealth Office but the details are in many cases devolved to our individual posts abroad and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Luciana Berger:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what his Department's policy is on taking into account when assessing tenders submitted for departmental contracts the (a) apprenticeship schemes, (b) policies on employment of paid interns and (c) policies of payment of at least the living wage of each bidding company. [120796]

Mr Lidington:
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) does not in general take these policies into account when assessing tenders. Though the FCO agrees with the use of Government Procurement to deliver policy initiatives, we have a limited capacity to achieve impact on UK-based initiatives because the majority of FCO expenditure is overseas. However, FCO Services, which is one of our major suppliers, does have an apprenticeship scheme and I refer the hon. Member to their website

http://www.fcoscareers.co.uk/Celebrating-Apprentices/Default.aspx

for more information on this.

17 Sep 2012 : Column 470W

Rwanda

Angus Robertson:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received on the effect of the resumption of aid to Rwanda on peace and security in the region; and if he will make a statement. [121088]

Mark Simmonds:
The decision to disburse half of the delayed UK general budget support payment to Rwanda and reprogramme the remaining half to education and food security programmes was announced on 4 September. There are currently no reports on the effect of this decision on peace and security in the region. We continue to monitor the situation in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo closely.

Western Sahara

Katy Clark:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received on an assault on the children of Aminatou Haidar while travelling between Agadir, Morocco and El Aauin, Western Sahara. [120818]

Alistair Burt:
We are aware of reports of the alleged assault on Aminatou Haidar's children on 8 July 2012. The alleged assault was reported by media sources and the embassy continues to monitor this. We regularly raise with the Moroccan authorities the importance of ensuring full respect for human rights in Western Sahara.

Katy Clark:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether the Government have received legal advice on whether the right of self-determination for non-self-governing peoples, as described by the International Court of Justice in its Kosovo advisory opinion of July 2010, applies to and is to be supported erga omnes by all states in the case of the Saharawi people of Western Sahara. [120819]

Alistair Burt:
In the Kosovo Advisory Opinion of July 2010, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) referenced its advisory opinion of 1974 in confirming that under international law, peoples of non-self-governing territories enjoy the right of self-determination. In its 1974 opinion, the ICJ confirmed that the people of Western Sahara have the right to self-determination, which is also the UK’s long-standing position. The current status of Western Sahara is disputed and undetermined. Through our support for the efforts of the United Nations Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for Western Sahara, Ambassador Christopher Ross, we continue to encourage the parties to reach a mutually-acceptable political solution that ensures the right to self-determination of the people of Western Sahara.

Yemen

Keith Vaz:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when the next Friends of Yemen meeting will take place. [121058]

Alistair Burt:
The next Friends of Yemen meeting will be held on 27 September in New York.

17 Sep 2012 : Column 471W

Zimbabwe

Kate Hoey:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he is taking to ensure that EU restrictive measures against the Zimbabwe Mining Development Corporation will only be lifted when there is a peaceful, democratic Zimbabwe that abides by international law. [120717]

Mark Simmonds:
As set out in my statement of 11 September 2012, the EU announced on 23 July 2012 that we would respond to a peaceful and credible constitutional referendum in Zimbabwe with a suspension of the EU restrictive measures on all but a small core of individuals around President Mugabe, particularly those who will most directly influence the potential for violence in the next election. The EU will in due course discuss which measures on individuals and entities should be included in any suspension should a referendum take place. Any decision must be made by the 27 member states in consensus, considering all legal arguments.

As to the Zimbabwe Mining Development Corporation, we remain concerned by the serious allegations that have been made by Global Witness and others. We are considering all of this evidence prior to discussions with EU partners, and where appropriate will seek to retain or add names if there is a compelling legal justification to do so. Absent any changes following a peaceful and credible constitutional referendum, all EU restrictive measures on Zimbabwe would be subject to renewal on 20 February 2013. Renewal must also be agreed by all 27 member states in consensus.

Justice

Fines: Surcharges

Philip Davies:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what assessment he has made of the likely effect of the introduction of the new victim surcharge regime on the level of (a) fines and (b) compensation orders imposed by magistrates. [121308]

Mrs Grant:
We do not believe that the increased surcharge will have an effect on the level of compensation orders imposed by magistrates. Magistrates may however reduce the amount of a fine ordered should the offender not have the necessary means to pay both compensation and the surcharge.

Magistrates Courts

Mark Hendrick:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice in how many magistrates courts in England and Wales non-stipendiary magistrates are expected to provide their own paper. [121259]

Mrs Grant:
Magistrates should not be expected to provide their own paper in any court. Her Majesty's Courts and Tribunals Service should provide the paper magistrates need in order for them to perform their duties effectively.

17 Sep 2012 : Column 472W

Prisoners: Foreign Nationals

Mr Hollobone:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice from which three foreign countries the highest number of foreign national prisoners come; and what steps he is taking to return such prisoners to secure detention in their country of origin. [121306]

Jeremy Wright:
The top three countries with the highest number of foreign national offenders (FNOs) in prison in England and Wales are currently Jamaica, Poland and Ireland. We have prisoner transfer agreements (PTAs) with Poland and Ireland. The UK's agreement with Ireland is for voluntary transfer only and very few Irish nationals seek to transfer. Poland has a five-year derogation from the EU compulsory PTA, but compulsory transfer is possible under the additional protocol to the Council of Europe convention. Prisoners are currently being considered under this instrument. The UK signed a voluntary PTA with Jamaica in 2007, but it has not been ratified as Jamaica has not implemented the enabling legislation. We are in discussions with the new Government of Jamaica on a compulsory PTA.

Reducing the FNO population in the UK is a key priority for this Government. The UK has PTAs with over 100 countries and territories, most of which are voluntary and require the prisoner's consent to transfer. However, as part of our strategy to reduce the FNO population, we are seeking to negotiate more compulsory PTAs, which will not require the consent of the prisoner to transfer, with our high volume FNO countries.

Prisoners: Literacy

Philip Davies:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what estimate he has made of the number of convicted offenders who have subsequently learnt to read and write while serving prison sentences in the latest period for which figures are available. [120815]

Jeremy Wright:
The Ministry of Justice/National Offender Management Service does not hold the information requested.

Learning in prisons is delivered by providers of further education and training under contract to the Skills Funding Agency. The agency does not hold the information in the precise format requested. However, the agency does hold information on the number of people in custody who were enrolled on learning aims to study English in the 2010-11 academic year. A total of 38,600 people enrolled in Skills for Life-related learning aims, of which 26,200 learners were enrolled on aims in English. Some of the 26,200 individual learners may have enrolled on more than one learning aim. Data for the full academic year 2011-12 are not yet available.

Prisoners: Mental Illness

Jenny Chapman:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many patients and inmates in the dangerous and severe personality disorder programme are serving indeterminate sentences for public protection. [120955]

17 Sep 2012 : Column 473W

Jeremy Wright:
Of the 188 people who were in the programme as at 31 December 2011, a total of 25 were serving an indeterminate sentence of imprisonment for public protection.

Departmental Contracts

Luciana Berger:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what his Department's policy is on taking into account when assessing tenders submitted for departmental contracts the (a) apprenticeship schemes, (b) policies on employment of paid interns and (c) policies of payment of at least the living wage of each bidding company. [120799]

Jeremy Wright:
The Ministry of Justice (MOJ) procures in accordance with EU legislation. In relation to assessing tenders the following information applies.

(a) The MOJ does not have a specific policy on apprenticeship schemes relating to tender assessments. Wording within tender documentation encourages bidders to use apprentices in the delivery of the service under contracts. The use of the Government's statutory Apprentice programme is encouraged, however on occasion contractors may have their own arrangements outside of this scheme.

(b)MOJ does not have a specific policy relating to bidder's policies on employment of paid interns when assessing tenders. The MOJ does however have a central policy relating to interns that are directly employed and is committed to developing its policy on internships in line with the Social Mobility Strategy “Opening Doors, Breaking Barriers” released in 2011. The strategy outlined the commitment to end all informal internships and ensuring that all internship opportunities were paid for post and would be advertised via the civil service jobs website in an open and fair manner.

(c) MOJ does not have a specific policy relating to assessing bidders polices of payment of “Living Wage”. This is not a requirement that MOJ is able to enforce upon contractors as the living wage is only paid by employers on a voluntary basis.

Racial Harassment: Public Transport

Andrew Stephenson:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many successful prosecutions for racial abuse on public transport there were in Lancashire in each of the last five years. [120811]

Damian Green:
Information held centrally by the Ministry of Justice on the Court Proceedings Database does not contain information about the circumstances behind each case, beyond the description provided in the statute under which proceedings are brought. It is not possible to identify from this centrally held information the specific location of occurrence of racial abuse offences.

Reoffenders

Andrew Percy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the reoffending rate was for (a) Brigg and Goole constituency, (b) Yorkshire and the Humber and (c) England and Wales in each of the last five years. [121309]

Jeremy Wright:
The following table presents the number of offenders in England and Wales and Yorkshire and the Humber who were released from custody, received a non-custodial conviction at court, received a caution,

17 Sep 2012 : Column 474W

reprimand, warning or tested positive for opiates or cocaine in each of the years, 2005 to 2009 (the latest calendar year available); and the proportion that committed a proven re-offence within a one-year follow-up period. Reoffending rates for 2010 will be published on 25 October 2012.

The number of offenders cautioned, convicted or released from custody in each year between 2005 and 2009 and the proportion who reoffended within a one year follow-up period

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

Yorkshire and the Humber

Number of offenders in cohort

77,427

81,714

80,630

74,361

70,908

Proportion of offenders who reoffend (%)

28.8

28.5

28.2

28.7

27.3

England and Wales

Number of offenders in cohort

695,590

742,519

766,474

735,527

697,362

Proportion of offenders who reoffend (%)

27.0

26.7

26.5

26.9

26.3

Note:
The number of offenders does not represent all proven offenders. Offenders who were released from custody or commenced a court order are matched to the Police National Computer database and a certain proportion of these offenders cannot be matched and are, therefore, excluded from the offender cohort, i.e. the group of offenders for whom reoffending is measured.

In response to a Ministry of Justice consultation on improvements to reoffending statistics, proven reoffending data are only produced at the regional, probation area and local authority level and not at constituency level.

Proven reoffending is defined as any offence committed in a one-year follow-up period and receiving a court conviction, caution, reprimand or warning in the one- year follow-up. Following this one-year period, a further six-month waiting period is allowed for cases to progress through the courts.

Terrorism: Compensation

Mr Spellar:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice with reference to his answer of 27 February 2012, Official Report, column 74W, on compensation: victims, what recent progress he has made in implementing the provisions of the Crime and Security Act 2010 on compensation for victims of terrorism overseas. [121175]

Mrs Grant:
A draft scheme for future victims of overseas terrorism made under the provisions of the Crime and Security Act 2010 was laid before Parliament on 10 July. It has yet to receive parliamentary approval but, subject to that approval, will be implemented 15 days later.

An ex gratia scheme which makes payments to victims with ongoing disabilities arising from certain overseas terrorist incidents that have taken place since January 2002 opened for applications on 16 April this year.

17 Sep 2012 : Column 475W

Third Sector

Mr Thomas:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what steps his Department has taken to implement the recommendations of the National Audit Office's report, central Government's implementation of the National Compact. [120557]

Jeremy Wright:
The Ministry of Justice welcomes the National Audit Office's report and its recommendations for central Government's implementation of the National Compact. It is developing a cross Ministry of Justice implementation strategy and action plan to address the recommendations contained in the report and which will strengthen its partnerships with Voluntary Community and Social Enterprise (VCSE) organisations.

Wellingborough Prison

Mr Bone:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the (a) capital expenditure and (b) revenue cost was for Wellingborough Prison in each of the last five years. [119239]

Jeremy Wright:
The following table shows the capital expenditure and revenue costs for HMP Wellingborough for the past five financial years (2007-08 to 2011-12). The resource costs and some capital costs were incurred locally at the prison with further capital expenditure incurred centrally.

£million

2007-08

2008-09

2009-10

2010-11

2011-12

Local resource expenditure

13.6

13.9

13.4

11.9

11.4

Local capital expenditure

0.060

0.038

0.055

0.128

0.115

Central capital expenditure

3.5

1.1

0.2

0.1

0.0

Additionally it may be helpful to note expenditure from the three years prior to this (2004-05 to 2006-07).

£ million

2004-05

2005-06

2006-07

Local resource expenditure

10.9

13.9

14.0

Local capital expenditure

0.071

0.022

0.122

Central capital expenditure

6.3

6.1

5.1

Note:
All figures expressed in £ million. The local costs are based on direct resource and direct capital expenditure at the establishment. This excludes expenditure met at regional or national level. The local resource figures for 2004-05 to 2007-08 are as published within the Annual Report and Accounts for HM Prison Service. The local resource figures for 2008-09 onwards are as published in an addendum to the Annual Report and Accounts of the National Offender Management Service which are available at:
http://www.justice.gov.uk/publications/corporate-reports/noms
Figures may not be directly comparable over time due to changes in scope and accounting treatment.